What Could Have Been
by onceuponacriminalmind
Summary: It's the night of Emily's farewell dinner before she leaves for London. Will Hotch finally realize what has been in front of him all this time? Will he let her leave without asking 'what could have been' HOTLY fic, please read and review! No longer just a TWO-SHOT :P
1. Chapter 1

**I'm on a writing kick these past few days :) Here's a little Hotch and Emily fic for you guys. I hope you enjoy! I don't own Criminal Minds or any of the characters. Who doesn't love a little HOTLY 3. I based this fic on what Erica Messer said about these two; how maybe at another point in time, they could have been something :(**_  
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_Clink clink clink! _ The sound of a glass being tapped sounded through the dining room catching the attention of everyone, bringing attention to the older Italian man standing at the end of the dinner table.

"Ahem!" Rossi cleared his throat as he raised his glass of wine while looking out at his friends and dinner guests for the evening. "Now I know we were hoping that this day wouldn't come this fast, but I'm glad we could all get together for this occasion."

Turning to face the brunette woman sitting in between the two blondes, he smiled with a hint of sadness.

"We're really going to miss you Emily, but we all know the London office is in wonderful hands with you leading them. We wish you the best. We love you. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" everyone else chimed as they raised their glasses and clinked with their neighbours. Emily blinked back tears as she took her time savouring the moment before getting up and walking over to embrace Rossi. He had been like a father to her all these years and she was grateful that he kept his words short and sweet.

"Thank you, Dave," she whispered for only him to hear as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Anytime, kiddo. Anytime." Pulling out of the hug, the pair turned back to face the others. Brushing her hair back, it was time for Emily to say something the people she had grown to think of as her family.

"Um, I can't even begin to tell you all how much I love each and every one of you. I've loved every minute that I've gotten to share with you all, and I need to thank you guys for not only being there for me, but for saving my life. Even though I'm not going to be at the BAU anymore, this isn't an end...it's just a beginning."

"Gumdrop, I swear if you don't visit I am revoking your work visa SO fast that they will deport you back here and into my arms without a hesitation!" Garcia squeaked as she dabbed her eyes.

Everyone broke into a light laughter at the technical analyst's threat.

"Princess, I wouldn't laugh too hard. I've seen my baby girl work; she could do it without even breaking a sweat." Derek replied with a smile.

Taking a deep breath, Emily continued, "Don't worry Garcia, I promise to visit frequently. Dave, thank you for throwing such a beautiful dinner, you didn't have to."

"I think he just wanted an excuse to show off what writing a few best selling novels could buy." Hotch interjected jokingly as Beth giggled with him.

"Um excuse me? I'll have you know it was FOUR best selling novels, Aaron. Thank you very much" Rossi retorted with a smug grin.

"Boys, let's all calm down" JJ chided much like a mother hen. She then turned to her husband and grasped his free hand that wasn't holding onto their little boy. It was getting late and Henry was going to fall asleep any moment.

"Ugh, guys I think we have to get going. Henry's going to fall asleep pretty soon."

"Yeah, and he's definitely not getting any lighter these days," Will added as he scooted his chair back.

As everyone got up to leave, another round of hugs and tears were exchanged. Saying goodbye was always hard, but saying goodbye to JJ was like saying goodbye to a sister for Emily. Wrapping Garcia into the hug, she promised once again that they would see each other soon and then went to give Henry a quick kiss. Next, she found herself standing in front of Reid and Morgan. Both of them had taken her leaving the hardest, but they had reached a sense of peace with her decision.

"Goodbye Emily." Reid said, happy that at least this time he was getting a chance to say goodbye.

Rubbing his back, Emily pulled back and looked at the younger man. He had changed so much since she had first met him those years ago. He had overcome so much, and yet deep down, he was still that rambling genius she loved.

Turning to see Morgan, the tears in her eyes started up automatically. When she had come back from Paris, she knew he had hid his resentment of her well, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. Even after the whole Doyle situation, he still cared about her with everything he had and had even made sure she was ready to go back into the field.

"Morgan..." she sighed as they clung to each other, not needing to say much else.

"I miss you already, Princess," he said softly as he kissed the top of her head and gave her hand one last squeeze, somewhat reminding him of that night in the warehouse when he begged her to just squeeze his hand; this time it was bittersweet. Shutting the door behind her now former partner, Emily walked into the den as silent sobs racked through her.

* * *

She hadn't heard him enter the study, but she wasn't all that surprised that he had come to look for her. Even though she wasn't technically on the team anymore, he was still playing the role of her unit chief by making sure she was alright.

"Prentiss?" he asked as he walked up behind her, not exactly sure what he was going to say.

"Hotch, do you think we've known each other long enough for you to call me Emily?" she half sniffled and laughed as she turned away from the window that over looked the lit up back yard.

Seeing her with the tear stains on her cheeks in the dim lighting of the study, Hotch had to admit that she looked beautiful. Finding himself having to physically stop himself from caressing her cheek to wipe away the wetness on her cheeks, he placed his hands in his pockets and looked down before looking back up with a rare smile.

"I guess we have known each other a lot longer than everyone else at the BAU, haven't we?" he asked. "Gosh, way to make me feel old."

"Yeah right, Hotch," she laughed feeling herself relax, "you still look good to me." She had no idea what had made her say that, and she found herself panicked for a moment wondering if she had crossed a line.

Not missing a beat, or seeming to be phased by what she had said, Hotch carried on with the conversation, "Well, thank you Emily. And If I'm to call you that, then I think it's only fair that you get to call me Aaron."

"Aaron." she repeated, the name sounding both foreign and yet natural on her tongue.

A few moments passed when suddenly a slow tune began to play through the in house stereo filling the study with soft music.

"Care to dance?" Aaron asked softly. He was toeing dangerous lines and he knew it, but he couldn't resist the urge to hold her in his arms one last time before she left.

Shocked, Emily was about to say something along the lines of how they should go see if Dave needed any help clearing up the dishes, or how he should be checking on Jack, or Beth! He had Beth! This was absurd! Opening her mouth to politely decline, she found herself instead placing her hand in his outreached when she saw how his eyes were almost begging for her to say yes.

Not waiting for her to change her mind, Hotch placed his arm on her waist and enclosed her hand in his as they swayed to the music. They had only danced together once previously, at JJ and Will's wedding, but it was like they had been dancing partners for as long as they could remember. With her hand moving across his back, Emily boldly placed her head just to the side of his so that his lips were a mere centimeters from her ear. He could feel her slow measured breaths on his neck and then a long drawn out sigh.

Still dancing, and not letting go of his hold of her, he knew her tell was showing.

"What is it?" he waited for her response as she blinked a few times.

"What if I'm wrong?" Pulling back a bit just so that she could look at him in the eye. "What if, London isn't what I'm looking for? Maybe there isn't anything out there that can fill this empty feeling."

He could see the fear in her eyes at what she was telling him. He wondered momentarily how many others, if any she had shared this fear with. Emily Prentiss rarely let her emotions come to the surface, and yet here wrapped in his arms, her walls were coming down brick by brick, and he had to help her rebuild it.

"Do you remember the first time you walked into my office? How I practically dismissed you because there was some problem with the paper work?" When she didn't say anything, he continued.

"You didn't just leave and accept my answer. You took it upon yourself to show up in the middle of the night and demand that you get the chance to prove yourself. And when Strauss tried to use you to get information on me, you stood your ground. You impressed me Emily Prentiss, and you kept impressing me over the years."

He stopped swaying them, but still held onto her and kept her hand enclosed in his. Looking directly into her eyes, Hotch kept going.

"You are an incredible agent Emily, and I think if you give it a chance, you'll find your a natural leader in London. I have no doubt that you'll be great."

"Thank you Aaron," she breathed in complete shock at his words. She was so stunned that when he moved to brush her hair from her face, she didn't even flinch at the uncharacteristic move.

"You look beautiful." Those three words shook her out of her reverie as a puzzled look came across her face.

How could he have missed it all these years? She had always been there in front of him and they had shared moments, but it was never enough to kick his stoic ass into gear. Of course he had always found her attractive, but his first priority had always been his job. Now she was leaving and he could feel her slipping away. Yes, he had started dating, but if he was being honest, he was always comparing Beth to the woman before him. She wasn't strong like Emily, she wasn't witty like Emily; she just wasn't her.

"Hotch?" This was that moment. The moment before there's no turning back; the moment of split second reality before you take that leap and lose yourself.

He was slowly leaning in and placed one of his hands on her arm and the other on her cheek. His heart soared when she placed hers as he had.

"Do you ever think about what could have been?" he swallowed and closed his eyes before opening them once more, "With us?"

Closing her eyes and opening them to look up into his, she swiped her thumb across his cheek before responding.

"Yes." she replied barely above a whisper, before they both leaned in.

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**Yep, I'm leaving it there for the time being :P Feel free to throw things lol. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes in this, I'm a total amateur at this. **

**Just for the record, I'm not a Beth hater, but I'm just a HOTLY shipper ;)**

**Feel free to leave suggestions in the reviews for what you would like to see happen. Perhaps someone catches them in their heated moment? I do have an idea of how I will end this, but I'm definitley open to ideas. Apologies if the characters (especially Hotch) seem OOC. Please please please review, they mean a lot to me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Wow you guys have blown me away with your kind words, it really means so much to me that you guys enjoy the story enough to leave a review! **

**So I know I said this would be a two shot, but man on man Hotch and Emily just have too much drama to have a story end in two chapters right? I know some of you were chomping at the bit when I left the last chapter where I did, so hopefully I did this next part justice.**

**This chapter will have a bit of swapping POV's between Jack and Hotch and Emily. Please enjoy!**

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Quickly running down the hall, Jack was in desperate need to find the bathroom in this huge house. His Uncle Dave had told him it was just down the hall from the kitchen, but he couldn't remember if he had said it was the 3rd or 4th door. Twisting the door knob, the little boy gently opened the door a jar and peaked in.

The room was dark, but he could tell that this definitely wasn't the washroom. For one, it was way to big; for another, there was no toilet, but something else was drawing the 7 year old's attention.

In the middle of the room, he could see his Daddy and Aunt Emily holding each other. At first he thought they were just hugging, but then he saw them say something and then they were kissing!

Although he should have been a bit confused at seeing this, Jack couldn't help but grin. He had always liked his Aunt Emily and thought that she and his Daddy liked each other. He honestly didn't mind Beth, but she just wasn't like Aunt Emily! She didn't play with him like Aunt Emily, she didn't ask him how school was going like Aunt Emily; she just wasn't Aunt Emily.

Momentarily wondering what he should do, Jack saw his father pull back from the brunette, wearing the biggest smile he had seen on his face in a long time, before leaning in to kiss her again. Jack didn't really understand what kissing was all about, truthfully he thought it was a big gross, but he remembered how Mommy had once told him that you save your kisses for the people you love. He had never seen his Dad kiss Beth like that, that was for sure.

Suddenly, the little boy felt a tap on his shoulder which startled the boy. Hearing a quiet "shhhh!" Jack pulled his head back from where he was peering into the study to see his Uncle Dave standing behind him, also wearing a grin on his face.

Quietly shutting the door, Dave looked at his friend's son.

"Uncle Dave?" Jack asked, conveying much more in those two words than what was being said.

"I think we should get back to drying the dishes, don't you Jack?" he replied with a wink.

Nodding feverently, the the blonde boy took the older Italian man's hand and lead him back to the kitchen.

* * *

"_Do you ever think about what could have been?" he swallowed and closed his eyes before opening them once more, "With us?"_

_Closing her eyes and opening them to look up into his, she swiped her thumb across his cheek before responding._

"_Yes." she replied barely above a whisper, before they both leaned in._

Their lips met softly at first, Emily a bit hesitant to let herself go; but there was something that just felt _so right_ about this man holding her, caressing her cheek and his shockingly soft lips melded with hers that she relaxed immediately and just got lost in the feeling. The feeling of _them_.

Feeling her relax, Hotch kept kissing the woman softly, but with as much passion as he could convey. He didn't want to scare her, but he had been wanting this moment for so long. Feeling her hands snake around the back of his neck, he moved his hand from her arm to her waist, pulling her impossibly closer to him, but still keeping one hand on her rosy cheek. Emily was glad he hadn't moved his hand from her cheek, smiling against the man's lips.

Breaking the kiss, Hotch pulled back from Emily just far enough so that he could look at her. Her lips were a deep red, and her cheeks were flushed and he could see her eyes looking back at him intently as if staring right into him. Smiling down at the gorgeous woman, he couldn't remember the last time he felt this amazing as he leaned back in and captured her lips once again, this time with more urgency and passion.

"Mmm, Emily" he murmured as she closed her eyes and moaned as well when she felt him move his way to her neck and began kissing her there.

"Aaron..." she whispered, struggling to find a breath. _God this man was making her come undone just with his kisses! _Not only hearing but _feeling_ him moan against her neck, Emily suddenly realized what was happening as it crashed down on her like a bucket of ice water.

"Aaron, wait, wait. What-we can't do this," she took a deep breath and swallowed as she guided his head away from her neck so that she could look him straight in the eye. Still standing so that their bodies were held together, she placed a hand on his cheek.

Seeing the change in her eyes, Hotch placed his hand over hers and held it.

"I want this Emily. _You_. I want _us." _ he leaned his forehead against hers praying that she could tell his sincerity.

"I know...but it's too late. We can't do this. This was a mistake. I'm sorry Hotch." Untangling herself from his arms, Emily moved to sidestep him, trying to get away as quickly as she could, but he was anticipating this and grabbed her shoulders, keeping her from running away.

"A mistake?" he asked bewildered. He couldn't believe she was saying that, when a mere minute ago they had been in their own world feeling like they were on cloud 9.

Anger starting to boil inside of her, Emily hardened her expression, "Yes Hotch, a mistake. Now let me go!" She tried once again to move away, but he was holding onto her like she was his lifeline.

"It's back to 'Hotch' now? No, Emily. I get that you're scared, but I won't let you tell me that this was a mistake. I know you want this just as much as I do!"

"Yes,it _is _back to Hotch" she snapped, causing him to wince at her harsh tone. "And how the hell was I supposed to know what you wanted? Yeah, I totally got the idea that you wanted me when you showed up here with your _girlfriend_! You know, the one who's just down the hall!?"

She was seething now, and he was still holding on to her partly afraid that she would run, but also a little afraid that she might punch him, she was so angry.

"She's not...she not yo-"

Loud voices suddenly interrupted the pair from the other side of the door. Hearing calls from both Jack and Dave asking someone to come back, the door to the study flung open to reveal Beth standing in the doorway.

"Aaron! Where have you been? I've been looking..." the museum curator trailed off when she noticed how her boyfriend's arm were on the shoulders of another woman. _What was going on here?_

"Um, Aaron, sweetie, did I interrupt something?" Beth asked with an edge to her voice as she heard Dave and Jack run up behind her. As she stepped into the den, she noted how Aaron and Emily stepped away from each other.

Clearing her throat, Emily spoke, "No Beth, I was just saying goodbye and thanking Hotch for allowing me to be a part of the BAU. I should get going though."

"No Aunt Emmy don't leave!" Jack begged as he ran to engulf the woman in a hug. Wrapping his arms around her neck as she picked him up easily, Jack buried his head in her neck.

Hotch looked on as his son hung on to the woman tightly, seeing just how much the boy loved this woman. Looking over, he noticed Beth flinch at his son's show of emotion towards Emily.

"I'm sorry Jacksters," she soothed using her special nickname for the boy, "but it's getting late, and I need to get going. I'll write you the best postcard I can find as soon as I get to London okay?" she placed the boy back on the ground and ran her hand over his hair. She really truly loved this little boy.

Simply nodding, Jack gave her one last tight hug and then ran over to his Dad.

"Dave, thank you so much for everything. Promise you'll come visit me?" Emily asked as she placed a kiss on his cheek.

"You know it! I'm working on a summer vacation home there, so when it's done, feel free to use it." he chuckled holding both her hands in his.

"Beth, it was nice to see you again." Emily acknowledged before turning to face Hotch.

"Goodbye, Hotch" she stated evenly but lingered with her gaze a little longer than she should have. Before he could even open his mouth however, Emily had walked out of the den and made her way to the front door. Looking down at his son who was looking back at him with big eyes, he sighed. Glancing over to his best friend, Rossi gave him a knowing look.

"Well," Beth started, "Aaron, I guess we should be getting ho-"

"Excuse me." Hotch cut off as he strode out of the study and quickly broke into a jog as he wrenched the front door open just as Emily was opening her car door.

Reaching the passenger side of her car, Hotch took a few deep breaths as he and Emily just stared at each other, from across the top of her car.

'Emily..." he pleaded.

"Go back inside Hotch, Jack and Beth are waiting for you." It was almost as if she was speaking in code, telling him how things were.

Sighing with an air of-it couldn't be-_defeat_? Hotch just shook his head.

"I do think of what could have been Aaron. All the time."

She got into her car without another word and drove away, watching through tears in her rearview mirror as he wiped his hands over his face and watched her as she drove away. Away from him.

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**Another cliffhanger? I think so...dun dun dunnnnnn! Sorry if the chapter is a bit short, but I just HAD to end it there :P I honestly did have an idea of how this chapter was going to go but then "Aaron'Dimples'Hotchner" left me an amazing review and some really awesome suggestions that I just had to consider, so big thanks to you!**

**Don't worry, I won't be leaving it there, but I'm not sure when I will be updating. It will definitley be before the end of August at the VERY latest, but I'm really hooked on writing this story so it may be up in the next few days.**

**Thanks for reading, please please please with Garcia magic on top leave a review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my great goodness, I apologize for the lack of update! Everyone's reviews have been so phenomenal! I tried replying to everyone who left reviews and if I missed you, I really apologize, but please know I read EVERY single one and cherish them so much! **

**I have to give a big shout-out to Hotly81173, Aaron"Dimples"Hotchner, StarlightShivers, and of course SSAEmilyHotchner! You have each made writing this story such a joy...so much in fact that this is NOT the last chapter :P I apologize! I seem to have a really bad habit of planning out how many chapters I'm going to write and then having it become more.**

**So here is the 3rd chapter: First short part is Emily, second is Hotch/Beth and Hotch/Jack...ENJOY!**

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When she had come back from Paris, she wasn't able to get the apartment she had previously owned, so she had bought a small one even though it had never felt like a home to her. Now, with everything already shipped to London and the walls completely stripped of art work and pictures, Emily felt as if the apartment was suddenly huge and swallowing her up in it's emptiness.

Slowly getting up from a single chair in the kitchen, the brunette made her way to her bedroom with a cup of chamomile tea. The only things that were left in the apartment were a few utensils, a chair, a cup and her bed; right now, all she wanted to do was to crawl into it and forget about everything that had happened that night.

"_I want this Emily. You. I want us." _

His words were replaying over and over in her mind as she could still feel his lips on hers. _God, how could she have been so stupid! _A few hours ago, she was completely content with leaving Virginia having never said anything to Aaron about how she felt, and now she was questioning everything. She could have sworn he was about to say something when Beth had stormed into the den. Seeing the other brunette had brought reality back to her mind.

_No_. Emily Prentiss had never needed a man by her side, and that would not change now. She was going to London. Damn Aaron Hotchner and his words! How dare he put her in this position!

Turning off her cell phone and laying out everything that she would need for her flight, Emily shed her dress and threw on some sweats before curling up under the covers.

"_He's with Beth. He's better off with her. You're leaving in a few hours."_ she told herself; but as much as she convinced herself and repeated it over and over, tears still fell down her cheeks as she quietly sobbed herself to sleep.

* * *

The rear lights of her car finally disappeared in the dark night as she drove out of his sight, leaving him standing on the sidewalk of Rossi's home.

"_Go back inside Hotch, Jack and Beth are waiting for you," _she had said, and she was right. He had a woman waiting for him that had made him feel something that he hadn't thought possible since Haley died, and it was unfair to his son to confuse him. But, those feelings he had for Beth had disappeared, and were replaced with stronger ones for Emily.

"_I do think of what could have been Aaron. All the time."_

_Why did she have to be so difficult!_ One moment she was kissing him back, next she was yelling at him, then telling him to go back to Beth, and _then_ says something like _that. _Emily Prentiss had to be the most stubborn woman he had ever met, and yet he wouldn't change anything about her.

Hearing the clicking of heels behind him, Hotch tensed up knowing that his moment of grief was over. Taking a deep breath, he pretended to not hear the brunette approach from behind.

"Aaron?" Beth asked tentatively, "I think we should get going don't you?" She was wearing a shy smile as she held out a hand to him.

"Um, yeah. I guess so." Taking her hand after a moment of hesitation, they walked back into the house. Something just felt so wrong about having this woman's hand in his and that caused Hotch to quickly pull his hand away as they entered the main foyer.

Wearing a puzzled expression, Beth promptly asked her boyfriend what was wrong. She knew he wasn't into public displays of affection, but the abrupt way he had practically yanked his hand away shocked her.

"I'm sorry Beth, I'm just tired that's all," he lied smoothly. _Great, now he wasn't just a cheating ass, but a lying one as well._

"Well," Beth drawled as she wrapped her arms around him, "maybe we need to go on a get away? What do you think?"

"You know how busy we are at work right now."

"I know. And I understand, but gosh Aaron, we never get to spend any time together! If it's not a case, it's paperwork, and if it's not that, you're too busy spending time with Jack! Even when we're together he's there!"

Even with the harsh glare and quick jerk of his head, Beth knew she had just screwed up...royally. Opening her mouth to try and back track, Hotch cut her off before she even had a chance.

"Excuse me?" he snapped, tearing himself out of her embrace and putting a few feet of distance between them. He knew he hadn't heard wrong, and if there was one thing in this world that he did not take lightly, it was his son.

"Beth, I'm sorry that you feel that way. I thought you knew that Jack was and will always be my first priority. He's already lost one parent, and I'll be damned if he grows up feeling like I'm not there for him." He was seething with anger as he gritted his words out between clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that it would be nice to have a night out just to ourselves. Why don't I spend the day with Jack tomorrow and then at night we can go to dinner?" Beth suggested in earnest.

"What don't you understand about the fact that I _want_ to spend time with my son? Jack doesn't trust many people and I don't think he'd be comfortable going somewhere with you alone quite yet," he replied honestly.

Now it was Beth's turn to share an icy glare as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh? He seems to trust Emily just fine and you obviously have no problem with _her _spending time with him do you?"

Staring at the women with wide eyes, Hotch clued in to what she was trying to say.

"So this is isn't about us is it? It's about Jack and Emily. To answer your question, Jack does trust Emily. He's known her since he was born and she's done so much for him and our family. Things that I will never be able to repay her for, so yes, I have absolutely no problem with them spending time together. She loves him, and he loves her. They have always been incredibly close."

Aaron couldn't help but beam on the inside as he described Jack and Emily's relationship. It was true, they had always had a special connection.

"Well maybe it's a good thing that she's moving to London then," Beth muttered.

And just like that, Aaron Hotchner was done. Any feelings he had ever had about Beth Clemmons were completely gone and quickly replaced with anger. She had insulted his son, and now she was on the verge of insulting one of his friends.

"Beth, I think it's time that you left," he stated evenly.

"What? What are you saying? You're breaking up with me?" she gasped.

"You've just made me realize that you can't accept my son, and since my son and I are a package deal, and _always_ will be...yes, it's best if we don't see each other any more."

Dave and Jack came around the corner into the foyer, just in time to see Beth grab her purse, wrench open the front door and slam it with all her might, but not before shouting a few choice words. Turning around to see his friend covering his sons ears, Hotch couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"Thanks Dave, you can release my son's ears now," he smiled as he ran his hand through his hair in embarrassment.

"Well, I don't think any 7 seven year old should be hearing that sort of salty language quite yet," the older man joked back.

Looking down at his son, Aaron knew breaking up with Beth was the right thing to do. If he was going to be with someone, they had to fully understand that Jack was his everything and always would be.

"Daddy, why were you and Beth yelling?" The boy asked looking up at his father with big questioning eyes.

"Beth and I had a fight buddy. She won't be spending time with us anymore, I hope that's ok with you." He knew that his son had started warming up to her, but he still wasn't entirely comfortable either.

"Oh," he said with a hint of confusion. Hotch braced himself for the question of "why?" and prepared to explain to his son in the best way possible when the little boy shocked him with what came out of his mouth.

"Were you and Beth fighting because you and Aunt Emmy were kissing?" he asked innocently.

Aaron stood there shocked. What? How? When had Jack seen them? Now his son was sure to be confused! Who else had seen he and Emily in their private moment? Had Beth seen the two of them together?

Looking at Jack, unsure of how to answer him, Hotch turned to look at Rossi who was wearing a smirk on his face.

"I believe the boy has a valid question there Aaron," Dave smiled.

Realizing that Dave must have also seen him kissing Emily, Hotch crouched down so that he was eye level with Jack.

"That's not what Beth and I were fighting about Jack, but I think we should talk about what you saw..."

"I love Aunt Emmy, Daddy." Jack piped in, "You were kissing her, and Mommy always told me that you kiss the people you love, remember? So does that mean you love Aunt Emmy?"

Once again, SSA Aaron Hotchner, was shocked by his 7 year old son. He did remember Haley used to say that, and was rather amazed at how Jack recalled it so fondly.

"I...Jack, it's not that simp-"

"Jesus Aaron, your 7 year old son has more logic than you do! I saw the two of you, and there's no doubt about it: you love that woman." Rossi chided as he grasped Jack's shoulders so that both of them were looking at Aaron with knowing eyes.

Looking back and forth between the two of them, Hotch stood back up to his full height.

"Dave, it's much more complicated than that. She doesn't want what I want, and she's leaving. There's nothing that I can do." he sighed with defeat.

"Bull," the man replied flatly. "She wants exactly what you do, and you know it. Now go fight for it!"

"Even if I do love her, she's leaving! What am I supposed to do?" Hotch was trying not to get too worked up and scare his son, but his emotions were spilling over.

"Go tell her, Daddy!" Jack shouted from below the two men; he really was a bright child.

Standing in silence for a few seconds, Rossi posed one last question towards his friend.

"Are you alright with never knowing what could have been between the two of you? If you are, than that's that; if you aren't...I think you need let her know. You both deserve to be happy. Are you really going to let her go?"

"_Do you ever think about what could have been?" he swallowed and closed his eyes before opening them once more, "With us?"_

Rossi was right; Jack was right. He loved her, and he didn't want to find himself one day waking up and realizing what he had let slip through his grasp. He didn't care if she rejected him and spat out his heart, he had to know for sure.

"No, I won't," Hotch replied with determination. "Will you-"

"Don't worry about Jack. I'm sure he and I can manage, right tough guy?"

"Sure thing, Uncle Dave!" the boy agreed happily.

Knowing that his son was in good hands, Aaron Hotchner quickly grabbed his phone and wallet before rushing out of the house. Jumping into his car, he knew Emily would be leaving soon and he was praying that he could get to her in time. He could not let her be his 'what if?' in life.

* * *

**So I thought that, sure I COULD leave it here...but who doesn't want to see him run after her? So I'm writing another chapter :) It would have just been too long to do it all in one, and this way it extends the angst for all of you mwahaha!**

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I know it was a bit long and didn't have any Hotch/Emily and more Hotch/Beth but I had to get their breakup just right :P For some reason, I feel like this chapter doesn't live up to the first two (maybe writing this late isn't good for my muse), so it would be great to hear what you all have to say, good or bad!**

** I do know exactly how this is going to end now, and I can't wait to share it with you all! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for waiting so patiently for this final chapter update! I apologize for not upholding my promise of posting it before the end of August, so I hope this extra long chapter can make up for it! I honestly had some writer's block for this last bit and I kept going back and forth about how to end it. Let me know what you think!**

**I would have made this into two shorter chapters, but that would have been too short and quite choppy...also I don't think you guys would have liked where I would have left the chapter...angst anyone? haha**

**I must also give a shoutout to "Firefly" who has been leaving wonderful reviews and I haven't been able to tell them my thanks! To everyone else who has left reviews recently, I thank as well!**

**So here it is, the final chapter of this story that I have honestly fallen in love with. Will there be a Happy Hotly Ever After? Read to find out, and of course please ENJOY!**

* * *

'_Knock, knock, knock'_

The noise echoing through her dark apartment caused the sleeping woman to jerk at the intrusion. _What the hell?_ Maybe she was imagining it...

"_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK'_

Ok, she definitely wasn't imagining the noise this time.

Throwing her covers back, Emily flicked on her night table light and quickly grabbed her handgun from the drawer. Sure, she was a top notch FBI agent who could give someone three times her size a complete ass whooping, but when a stranger comes knocking at your door in the middle of the night, a handgun is pretty handy.

Making her way down the hall towards the apartment door, she switched every light switch she came into contact with. Holding the 9mm with a steady arm, Emily silently continued towards the door.

"_BAM, BAM, BAM!" _

Now, Emily Prentiss was getting anxious. The door was shaking with every pound at the door. Sidling up to the wall so her back was against it, she took a deep breath and prepared to look through the peephole.

"Emily! Open up! We need to talk!"

When she heard his voice, her anxiousness disappeared and was replaced with a fury she didn't know possible at this ungodly hour. Not only had he woken her up, but he had probably just woke up her whole neighbourhood! Placing her gun on the small table, Emily fiddled with the locks and ripped the door open just as he was about to pound on her door again.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" she snapped fiercely, keeping one hand on the door, and the other on the door frame, making it impossible for him to walk in.

Startled when she had whipped the door open, Hotch drew a momentary blank as he observed her staring back at him waiting for an answer.

"Emily, I-I..." he started.

"Do you have any idea what time it is Hotch?! Are you out of your mind?!" Forget about her neighbours, she was yelling now, and she wasn't going to let him off easy.

"Well?" she asked looking bewildered. "What? What is so important that you had to come here and practically smash my door to smithereens?"

"Us." He answered simply as if she had asked a basic question.

Scoffing, Emily couldn't believe he was doing this now.

"Hotch, go home." she deadpanned. "Whatever happened tonight was just a moment of craziness alright? I'm going to go to London in a few hours and we'll just forget it ever happened."

"No." Again, he answered her question so simply and slowly began to close the space between them. Sensing what he was doing, Emily began to back up, but soon felt the hard surface of a wall hit her back.

Swallowing as she felt him place one hand on her hip and the other on her cheek, just as he had done a few hours ago, she looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Wh-what do you mean 'no'?"

"I'm not going to forget what happened Emily. I don't _want_ to forget what happened." His lips were millimeters from hers as she whispered his name and he leaned in.

"_**DING"**_

'_What the hell?' _ she thought as she heard what sounded like a bell. _Whoa_. Suddenly Aaron's face began to blur in front of her...

"_**DING!" **_

Emily's eyes flew open to the bright light that was seeping through the plane window.

"_**Ding! **_Ladies and Gentleman, the Captain is asking that all passengers re-fasten their seat belts as we begin our descent into Heathrow International Airport. Local time is 8am; thank you for flying British Airways, we hope you enjoyed your flight!"

Looking around her, Emily shoved her disappointment deep down within her when she realized what was going on. He hadn't come to her apartment last night. He hadn't come after her. He didn't lean in to kiss her. She had woken up, left her apartment and gotten on the plane. Yet it had felt so real! She could feel his hand on her waist, and her cheek and yet she knew what had happened: she had fallen asleep during the long flight-it had been a dream; so vivid that when she had opened her eyes, she momentarily thought he would be beside her.

Readjusting on her seat, Emily prepared her things as the plane touched down in London. She had done it! She was finally here and ready to start anew. Quickly thanking the flight attendant as she walked off the plane, she shook her head of her thoughts. She was to meet Clyde at baggage claim where he would drive her to her new home. Her new life. He would forget what had happened, and she had to too.

* * *

**_12 hours earlier..._**

Screeching the car to a halt in front of Emily's building, Aaron jumped out of the car and counted the floors of the building as he looked up into the night sky. He knew her apartment was on the 11th floor facing the street, but all the windows across the floor were dark. _Damn, she must already be asleep!_

Keeping his eye on the row of windows, Hotch reached into her jacket pocket as he dialed her cell number. He hadn't exactly devised a plan for when he got to her home, he was only worried about catching her before she left as he had been speeding down the highway in his car.

"Hi-" the woman's sweet voice answered.

"Emily!" he practically shouted.

"-you've reached Emily Prentiss. If you're getting this message, it means I'm on my way to London! So leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!" _BEE-_

Ending the call before it could go to message, Hotch placed his hands on his head with a distressed expression. He had missed her. She was already on her way, and he had missed his chance to tell her.

Slowly walking back to his car, Aaron leaned over the driver side door, and banged on the hood. Wiping his face, he thought about what her leaving really meant; he had let Jack down. Not only had he lost the woman he cared about so deeply, but Jack had as well. She had managed to slip through their grasp.

Picking up his phone, he dialed another number and waited as it rang twice before being answered.

"Did you catch her?" Dave's voice sounded through the cell phone.

"She was gone before I got here. I'll be at your place in a bit to pick up Jack," he replied with a heavy sigh.

"You know, whenever I think I've hit a dead end you know what I do Aaron?"

"Have a stiff drink?" the agent replied with more sarcasm than necessary.

"I would ask myself, 'what would SSA Hotchner do?' I'm pretty sure, he doesn't give up so easily...think about that." And the line went dead.

Letting the older man's words sink in, Hotch thought about what his friend had said.

"_Are you really going to let her go?"_

Dialing her number once more, Hotch jumped into the driver's seat and started the car, tearing away from the curb as he listened to her voicemail message again; only this time, he didn't hang up when he heard the beep. He was going to tell her how he felt one way or another.

* * *

"Darling, all I'm saying is that I'm very glad you decided to come back to work for me!" sighed Clyde as he opened Emily's door to her new apartment. Carrying a few of her suitcases, he dropped them beside some of her other boxes that had already been dropped off the days before she had arrived.

Walking into the apartment herself for the 10th time in the last hour, Emily also dropped the box she was holding with a loud 'thud!' before turning to the blonde man and giving him a look of joking disdain.

"Ha! Okay, Clyde let's one thing straight: I'm not working for you this time around. I'm running this show. You promised me I would be team leader, so don't try playing me now that your words have come back to bite you in the ass!" she scoffed as she turned to make her way back to the building hall way to collect more of her things.

"Ouch!" the man joked with a fake look of pain, "You're sarcasm really hurts me you know?"

"Yeah, well get used to it, Easter. Now come help me get some more of my boxes!"

"So you didn't have any problems moving out?" he asked as he changed to a more serious tone. As much as the two of them tended to pick on each other, he also wanted to make sure this move wasn't putting too much strain on her.

"No, everything went quite well," Emily replied as she opened up a box of dishes and began placing them in the cupboard. "The hardest part was saying goodbye to my team." Yes, she would always refer to them as _her _team.

"Of course, I know of one person who will _definitely_ miss having you at the BAU." Clyde quipped as he raised an eyebrow when Emily looked at him in surprise.

"Darling, just because I'm not a profiler, doesn't mean I can't read obvious signs. The man practically told me he would kill me if anything happened to you went you went after Doyle. Not too many boss' who would be willing to do that for co-worker."

Quickly walking back out to grab some more things from the hall before Emily could reply, he left her standing there in the kitchen, mouth agape at his conclusion.

After a couple of hours of rearranging furniture and putting the necessities where they needed to be (and of course a few drinks and delivery pizza), the once empty apartment was starting to resemble something of a home for Emily. At around 11pm, the smug british man called it a night and bid the brunette adieu.

"I'll see you in my office on Monday to get your paperwork signed. In the meantime, HR needs you to send them an email. Have a good night Emily." Clyde said as he stood in her doorway.

"Thanks for all your help today Clyde; I appreciate it." Emily replied as she joined the man at the entrance.

"Well, if you need anything else...don't ring me," he chuckled as he winked and walked out the open door. Smirking as she shut the door behind him, Emily walked into her sitting room and began to clear some stuff off of the coffee table.

Remembering that she needed to email HR, Emily rummaged through her purse; she hadn't had the time to set up the internet and wifi quite yet so her phone would have to suffice. Turning it on, a sharp tone alerted her to a new voicemail. Having a seat on her couch and putting her feet up after such a long day, she gasped when she heard the message begin to playback.

"Emily..." Hotch's voice sounded so defeated and for a moment, she questioned if it was really him. Tears started to form behind Emily's eyes as she just sat still and listened to the man's deep voice.

"I know you probably won't get this in time, and maybe you're already on the plane or even in London, but I just..." There was a lengthy pause before she heard him sigh and continue, "...what happened tonight? With us? It wasn't a mistake, and I don't want you to _ever_ think that I regret it."

Her cheeks now fully wet, and her composure at it's breaking point, Emily began to silently sob as the voicemail continued.

"I meant everything I said Emily, and to think that we could be so close and have you slip away kills me. You're the most amazing woman I have ever met and the only thing I _do_ regret is not doing something about it sooner. Now I'm here outside your apartment at nearly 1 am and for all I know you could be halfway around the world when you hear this, but I _need _you to know...I don't want to just forget, pretending that nothing happened or that there isn't something between us and one day wake up and realize I missed out on something amazing, something that I know could be real."

Another pause with just the sound of his laboured breaths over the phone.

"I've never been very good at this, but you make me do things that I normally wouldn't and that's not a bad thing. I guess it all comes down to this: Emily Prentiss, I love-"

'_**BEEP!**'_ the phone interrupted signaling the voicemail had been cut off.

Sitting in the deafening silence, Emily couldn't believe what she had just heard. Both stunned and angry that the message had been cut off, her mind was reeling. The voicemail hadn't been fully completed, but he had said two out of the 3 magical words and it didn't take a genius to figure out where he was going with his speech. He _had _gone to her apartment! And now she was indeed, half way around the world and he was on the opposite side with a million things keeping them apart. How could she leave a message after what he had said? She needed to talk to him, needed to _see _him.

His heartfelt message was the most vulnerable she had ever heard him be. It was if his words were almost too good to be true, but what if he meant it? What if he truly did want to be with her? With a glimpse of reassurance that her feelings for him that she had tucked away for years may be reciprocated, utter confusion filled her body.

Momentarily wondering if she should perhaps call him at work, the shocked woman began trying to come up with some sort of way to make contact when she heard a quiet knock at her door. Quickly wiping her eyes and checking her face in the hall mirror, Emily opened the door thinking Clyde had forgotten something.

It wasn't Clyde. This man was not blonde, but a brunette. This man was strong and caring and completely exhausted and soaking wet having just jogged a few blocks in the pouring rain to find the right apartment building. This man could make her go weak at the knees with one of his dimpled smiles, and her heart soar when he talked about his son. This man had not been satisfied just leaving a voicemail, so here he was: halfway around the world from his home, and yet merely a foot in front of the woman he loved.

Taking in his wet appearance and noticing he was panting quite heavily, Emily blinked a few times wondering if her mind was playing a cruel trick on her.

"Aaron," she breathed, completely speechless.

"Emily," he stated as he strode forward into the apartment and cupped her face as her hands went to his. Stroking his strong cheeks and jaw line, she couldn't get enough of him as she searched his eyes not wanting to look away, afraid if she did, he would disappear. Both kept re-grasping each other as if checking that they were really together in each other's arms.

Always the gentleman first and foremost, he pulled off his wet jacket with immaculate speed as to not get her wet. Throwing the jacket onto a chair without even looking away he engulfed her into a hug, as she began to cry. Rubbing circles on her back, he pulled away just enough to look at her, just as he had while in the study after their first kiss. Again, he placed a strong hand on her cheek as he tried to wipe the falling tears from her eyes.

"I-I can't believe you're really here." As she wrapped her arms around his neck running her fingers through his damp hair she whispered, "Is this another dream?" feeling his touch on her warm skin.

"No, Emily, it's not a dream. Did you, did you get my message?" he asked with a hint of hopefulness in his voice. Unable to speak, she just nodded her head.

"Wha-how? What are you doing here?" she asked after a moment of just being in his grasp.

Breaking into a smile, Aaron had though his intent was obvious.

"Well, I never got to finish the message, and as soon as I said everything aloud, it all just made perfect sense. I need you to know that what I said aren't just words...so I got on the next flight to London and now I'm here: telling you I'm not going to let you get away."

There it was: he not only had told her in words, but he had the actions to back them up. Being a true alpha male, Aaron Hotchner had gone after what he wanted.

Sensing that Emily was still a bit skeptical, Aaron put her final worry to rest,

"I'm here as a single man Emily. She couldn't accept me for who I am, and that's something that you have _always_ done. I'm so sorry if I made you think that what we shared was just some moment of passion. You've been there for me and Jack and I've just been a complete idiot unable to see what was right in front of me."

It was time he put everything on the line. All that he had to say he would do so right now.

"When I came back to the BAU after Foyet attacked me in my apartment, the team told me it had been you that came looking for me. You found me at the hospital and you stayed by my side the entire time, just sitting with me as I lay there unconscious. Even after, you would walk me back to the apartment and you told me that I wasn't alone.

I know you're a strong, independent woman who doesn't need a man by her side, but I need you. You said you think about what we could have been all the time, and so do I, but I don't want to anymore."

Giving a quick questioning look at his last statement, Hotch continued once more,

"I don't just want to think about what could have been. I don't want us to be a 'what if'. I love you Emily Prentiss, and all I'm asking is for a chance to show you that. I know you're scared and so am I but I'm done sitting on the sideline and never knowing. I want to _know _what we could be."

Finished laying his heart on the line and being the most vulnerable he had ever allowed himself to be, Hotch inwardly held his breath as Emily closed her eyes letting his words settle.

Opening her eyes and looking up at Aaron, Emily softly spoke, "You're right. I don't need a man by my side..."

His face fell momentarily as dread filled him. This was where his heart would be ripped in two and sent packing back to Virginia.

"I don't need one...but I want one." Emily broke into a small grin. "And I want him to be you."

Those seven words were met with the crashing of Aaron's lips on hers. Starting out with frantic grasping of each other and melting into something sweet, the pair broke apart, both breathing heavily with foreheads rested on each other's.

"Emily..." Aaron smiled in disbelief, holding his love in his arms and giving her a quick kiss, not wanting to even let her go an inch.

"No more wondering...I love you Aaron Hotchner."

Passionate kisses started once again at her admission. Running their hands all over each other, both agents knew that their new found love would undoubtedly come across a few difficulties; however now was not the time to worry, now was a time reserved for them, without having to face the world just yet.

"We'll figure something out, Aaron." Emily whispered, her breath tickling his face.

Smiling back at the woman with nothing but love in his eyes, Aaron agreed. He had waited and wondered all this time about what could have been with Emily Prentiss, and now that he no longer had to wonder, he was not going to let anything keep them apart.

They would no longer be a "what could have been", but rather a "what is, and will be".

* * *

**Well of course I had to get them together, but I had to throw you guys through the ringer and throw in the dream sequence :P HOTLY HOTLY HOTLY :D :D **

**I decided to have Hotch go all the way to London b/c I just thought it would mean that much more. My orginal plan was just for him to go to her apartment and stop her from leaving, but the suspense just wrote itself haha. I realize that the ending may have been rushed, but it was getting too long and let's be honest, as long as they get together, I'm fine by it!**

**Again, I need to thank you all for reading and reviewing this piece because without your kind words, I would not be motivated to continue. I hope you all enjoyed the fic, and I'm going to put it out there that I DO have an idea for a one-shot that could be seen as a sequel to this piece.**

**I don't know when I'll be writing again, but let's hope this season of CM keeps us all happy? :)**

**Until next time, thanks!**


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